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German President arrives in India on six-day state visit

New Delhi, Feb.5 ANI | 1 year ago

German President Joachim Gauck, accompanied by an 80-member delegation consisting of ministers, members of Parliament and business leaders, has arrived in India on a six-day state visit at the invitation of his Indian counterpart, Pranab Mukherjee.

German Ambassador to India Michael Steiner said: "Now for the visit, the overall motto we have given the visit is education, language and mobility, because we want to connect and increase the connections between modern Germany with the young and modern India."

President Gauck was given a ceremonial reception at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Wednesday.

The visiting dignitary will meet his counterpart, Pranab Mukherjee, and Indian Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh.

He is also expected to visit Rajghat,the memorial of Mahatma Gandhi, to pay homage to the great apostle of non violence.

The President is also expected to visit Karnataka where he will have a meeting with Governor of Karnataka, among other engagements.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) release, India and Germany have been strategic partners since 2000 and, with the commencement of Inter-Governmental Consultations in 2011, there has been noteworthy progress in all areas of bilateral cooperation through regular high-level exchanges at the Head of Government level, as also due to cooperation in strategic areas and growing economic and commercial ties.

Germany continues to be India's largest trading partner in Europe and both nations also work closely together in the international arena.